The Hoka Bondi 9 and Hoka Clifton 10 are both cushioned running shoes, with the Bondi 9 traditionally offering a more comfortable and protective ride than the Clifton at a higher price. Both shoes have had big updates in 2025, so which is the better option for you? Nick runs through the pros and cons of both shoes in this video.
Check out our full reviews of both shoes:
Hoka Clifton 10 Review:
Hoka Bondi 9 Review:
00:00 – Intro
00:15 – Design & Key Stats
02:58 – How’s The Fit?
03:42 – The Run Test
07:24 – Verdict
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Hello welcome to Run Testers My name's Nick and in this video we're going to be Comparing the Hoka Clifton 10 and the Hoka Bondi [Music] 9 So the Bondi 9 and the Clifton 10 are Two very popular cushioned neutral shoes Within the Hoka range The Bondi sits at The top of the range as the premium Cushioned option which is a little bit More expensive and a little bit more Cushioned than the Clifton which is more The more affordable daily trainer or More of a daily trainer in general That's focused on having a little bit More versatility than the Bondi which is A bit more aimed at easy runs Both shoes Have had a fairly big update this year The Bondi is already out and the Clifton Launch is imminent So I thought it'd be Good to compare them in case you're Trying to pick between hoker cushion Shoes So as mentioned the Bondai 9 is The more expensive shoe It's £170 in the US or £160 in the UK The Clifton is $150 In the US Don't have the UK price Completely confirmed yet but I expect It'll be £140 Bondi is the heaviest shoe It's 313 gram or 11 o and a UK size 9 or US 9.5 The Clifton 10 is 285 g or 10 oz Bondai 9 sticks with the traditional 5mm Hoka drop but the Clifton's actually Moved away from that to an 8mm drop for The Clifton 10 which is one of the
Bigger changes to the shoe line in Several years adding 3 mm to that drop I'm not sure it changes the ride feel Quite as much as you might expect but We'll talk more about that in the run Test Come to stack height the Clifton is Slightly higher stacked It's 43 mm at The heel and 37 mm at the forefoot in The men's shoe whereas the Clifton is 42 Mm at the heel which then drops to 34 mm In the forefoot in the men's shoe Again The women's are just 1 millm lower Across the board But it comes to the Design of the shoes with the Hok Clifton 10 you have a jackard knit upper and Then a compression molded EVA midsole Foam which is one of the big differences Between the two shoes This CM EVA is the Material that Hoker has traditionally Used in both the Clifton and the Bondi But the Bondi has got an upgraded Midsole foam for the Bondi 9 which talk About in a second Got a meta rocker Design on the Clifton which is a classic Kind of Hoker thing the rocker that Gently guides you through your foot Strike You got a rear foot active foot Frame which has created a bit of Stability around the back of the shoe Things like an internal heel counter and That kind of thing Side walls of foam As A result it's naturally quite a stable Shoe without having any uh you know more Obvious stability features Then you've
Got a durabbrasion rubber outsole That's The same as on the Bondi 9 Actually both Of them have got pretty good outsole Coverage in the key impact areas with a Pretty hardwearing rubber The Bondi has Got an engineered mesh upper though Rather than this jackard mesh one Lots Of padding on this Actually both of them Are really well padded in a very similar Way There's lots of padding on the Tongue lots of padding around the collar You've also got that internal heel Counter at the back of the Bondi to add Some stability there And like I said You've got a super critical EVA foam in The midsole So this is a nitrogen Infused version of EVA It's a bit Lighter and kind of poppier and more Responsive in theory than the Compression molded EVA on the Hoker We've seen this super critical foam used On shoes like the Mac and the Hoka Skyflow in the past and now it's been Bought to the Bondi as one of the key Differentiators between it and the Cheaper cushion shoe in the range the Hoka Clifton [Music] 10 Comes the fit of the two shoes I've Got a UK 9 in both which is a US 9.5 I Get on really well with Hoka shoes Because not only do I have quite a Narrow foot I really like the way they Tend to design their heel collars that
Have enough space for the Achilles that To provide a supportive and comfortable Hold without rubbing it in any way And Yeah I've got them really well with the Fit of both of these shoes Although I do Have a narrow foot it's not so it's not Always easy for me to judge but I don't Think they're extremely narrow shoes And There are wide options with both of These shoes if you do find them a little Bit too cramped on the sides I've had Enough room in the toe box myself Good Hold around the heel and midfoot So yeah All around the fits been really good for Me They are really quite well padded Though I tested both shoes in the winter I didn't have any problems I think maybe In hotter climates you might feel a bit Of heat around the kind of top and back Of your foot with all that padding if You're running on very sunny [Music] Days On to the run test then And I've Done 60 to 70 km in both of these shoes Using them for a nice mix of daily Training runs mostly at pretty easy Paces but I've also done progression Runs in the shoes where I've moved from An easy to a steady pace And a long run In the Clifton and a longish run in the Bond I think I think I only went up to About 16 17k in that shoe Whereas with The Clifton I did I think 21 or 22 And With both shoes I'd say they certainly
Excel at the easier end of things They Are more comfort focused shoes than ones That are designed to be especially Versatile But the Clifton does have a Little bit to it when it comes to faster Runs as a slightly more daily trainer Focused shoe of the two You have got Some pretty big differences on paper Between these two shoes with the Bondi Having that super critical midsole foam And the Clifton having the compression Molded EVA foam and also the Clifton has That higher drop But they both do have Quite a familiar hoc feel I would say Having tested lots of Hoka shoes over The past few years You've got a Naturally quite stable shoe a fairly Wide base on both shoes even though the Clifton is maybe a little bit narrower And that rocker just easing you through Your foot strike In neither shoe would I Say the foam really stands out for being Incredibly lively or fun or anything Like that Even this super critical foam In the Bondi it's more just about the Kind of classic Hoka rocker ride you get Here It's about it's stable it's Supportive it's pretty comfortable but I Wouldn't say if you're looking at the Bond or this new foam and expecting you Know a really big uptick in performance You don't really get that here And I Don't think it provides a huge step up In the quality of the ride compared to
The Clifton with its more standard EVA That said I do think it has a little bit More give this foam I was running a Bosch at the same time You do feel that A little bit like with the Bondi you Sink in a little bit more a little bit Maybe more energy return compared to the Clifton but like I say it's not a very Big amount And I think overall the Clifton has a slightly smoother ride for Me I don't know if that's necessarily The drop or actually in general I found The Clifton to always be a slightly Smoother shoe than the Bontai Both shoes Have really well-designed heel rockers And heel bevels As a heel striker I Think I roll onto the midfoot quite Nicely with both of them But with the Bondi I don't really feel much off the Toes I don't really think it's really Completing my foot strike and giving me A nice little bit of pop off the toes at All there The Clifton Foam isn't exactly Very lively It's not like it's giving me A load of response or bounce back or Anything like that But I just think the GR is a little bit better setup for me And as I roll through my fore foot I Find quite a natural more flowing foot Strike with the Clifton than the Bondi Now that's definitely true at faster Paces Like I've done some progression Runs in the Clifton I've been pretty Impressed with how it's performed at
Slightly faster speeds as well As a Daily trainer it will handle those maybe Mild tempo runs or the easy to steady Runs I do quite a lot of in my training Week It feels pretty good at those fast But not really fast paces you're running There Don't think it really has the Capacity to go and be an allout speed Shoe For for myself I definitely have a Faster shoe in my rotation But if you Were looking at one shoe to do it all From these two the Clifton would be the Better choice I think it's certainly got More verve to it and fun when you're Running at faster speeds I also find That it rolls me through better at slow Speeds as well And this is where the Bondi should excel in theory It's a Little bit more cushioned It's got that Wide base very protective I'm sure it is A very protective shoe but the Clifton Is also really cushioned I don't think I Need more cushioning than the Clifton Myself and I do find it just has a Smoother ride That means I forget about It more on the run when I'm going at Easy paces It just feels more natural And I can just forget about my shoe It's Protecting me It's rolling pretty nicely It's all I really need from it Bondi Like I said I just feel like I get a bit Stuck in it and it just feels a bit more Blocky on the end of my foot So yeah So While both shoes I think are at their
Best when they're soaking up those easy Miles in your training week the Clifton Has a bit more versatility I just Slightly preferred the ride feel at easy Paces as well Might be the kind of Runner I am I think maybe if you're Looking for all out protection the Bondi Will give you that a little bit more and It's got a bit more width So maybe it's A little bit more stability there I Think the Clifton is pretty much just as Good as all those fronts It is still a Very comfortable shoe a naturally stable Shoe but I just think you get a slightly Better ride feel Even though I do think The foam is probably a little bit better In the Bondi Like I say it's a little Bit more kind of sinking and bounce to It but it's not much more And more the More important aspect of the rides of Both shoes for me is the geometry and The way they roll through And the Clifton just seems to do that a bit Better for [Music] Me It comes to verdict It's an easy Choice for me because I prefer the Clifton just flat out for any kind of Run and it's also the cheaper shoe So That is the one I'd go for I think Unless you're really looking for a very Protective shoe full stop maybe if You're a heavier runner something like That and you're going to get enjoy the
Extra levels of foam you have here or Maybe get a bit more bounce back out of That super critical foam cuz I just Never found it that bouncy And I just Really found I was preferring the rocker On the Clifton which is similar in feel To the Bondi but just that little bit Smoother Like I say it's also cheaper And I think it does a really solid job As a kind of easy day shoe that can also Do a little bit of speed work And then Like I say if you're a runner who wants One shoe to do everything I think the Clifton is the better choice here It's a Lighter shoe It's a better shoe at speed If you're a new runner who you know just Starting maybe a training program for Event or something like that the Clifton Is going to serve you I think better Than the Bondi for a wide range of runs Just because the Bondi is so geared Towards comfort protection at slow paces Alone Whereas the Clifton gives you a Lot of that but then has a bit more Versatility is So while I wouldn't Necessarily say either shoe is the Standout option in its category on the Market at large when it comes to Comparing you know these two hoker shoes I'd look at the Clifton myself first Unless you really have a feeling that You want that extra you know width and Protection that you will get from the [Music]
Bondi That's a comparison of the Hoka Bondi 9 and Hok Clifton 10 Let us know You think in the comments below Please Like and subscribe ring the little bell And I'll see you next time
